Monthly Archives: June 2013

DiabetesThe U.S. Department of Agriculture’s research centre has found that drinking black, green and particularly oolong tea improves blood glucose control both in diabetics and people without the disease. If you stir a half teaspoon of cinnamon into your tea, the combination significantly boosts the effectiveness of insulin to keep blood sugar levels from rising too high.

Food PoisoningIf you suspect food poisoning, couple black tea with a few pieces of burned toast, says the National Institute of Whole Health. The tannic acid in tea and charcoal in the toast will neutralize the toxins and help you get much better very quickly.

Heart DiseaseHarvard University studies have shown that black tea drinkers have a 44% reduced risk of having a heart attack compared to non-tea drinkers. Research at the University of North Carolina confirmed that 12 different studies looking at tea consumption in a quarter million people found that those who drank tea have less incidence of heart attack. Tea appears to act on LDL, which is bad cholesterol by keeping cholesterol from being metabolized in a way that would clog the arteries and cause stoke.

Immune StrengthPace University in New York found that all teas, even commercial ice teas like Snapple, Nestea & Arizona killed or inactivated certain viruses on contact. Their research showed that black tea can kill human viruses including cold, flu, and herpes simplex 1 and 2.

Kidney StonesInvestigators at China’s Sichuan University found that a compound in green tea binds with calcium oxalate to help prevent and reduce the size of painful kidney stones.

StressWhen you are under stress, your adrenal glands produce a hormone called “Cortisol”. Cortisol increases blood sugar and fat formation especially belly fat which is the most dangerous type of fat. Cortisol also suppresses your immune system. According to a new University College study from London, England, cortisol levels of regular black tea drinkers fell 47% within one hour after completing a stressful task.

Weight LossIf you want to loose weight, studies have shown that 5 cups of tea a day boosts metabolism by up to 5%, and it’s not the caffeine that’s doing it – it’s the catechins and polyphenols in tea. One study showed that green tea may reduce fat absorption from your diet by as much as 30%. Japan’s University of Tokushima reported that people who drank oolong tea had a fat burning rate that was 12% higher than people who didn’t drink oolong.

to be continued… in the mean time join us for a cup of your favourite tea!

Alzheimer’s DiseaseNewcastle University in England looked at green and black tea in a series of laboratory experiments. The results showed that both types of tea inhibited the activity of Enzymes associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, tea appears to affect the brain in a similar way as prescription drugs for Alzheimer’s, however, tea doesn’t have the side effects that the drugs do. According to the scientists, black and green tea fight enzymes that destroy chemical messengers in the brain.

ArthritisScientists at Case Western University in Cleveland took two groups of mice and gave them injections of a substance that causes immune reactions similar to those due to rheumatoid arthritis. One group had regular water to drink and the other got water laced with polyphenols, chemicals found in green tea and, to a lessar extent black tea. Nearly all the mice that drank regular water got arthritis-like symptoms, compared to less than half of the treated mice. Green tea and its polyphenols are great for controlling arthritis, it has an antioxidant called EGCG that blocks enzymes from breaking down cartilage.

Bone StrengthTea flavonoids may be bone builders and fight Osteoporosis. A report in the archives of internal Medicine looked at about 500 chinese men and women who regularly drank black, green, or oolong tea for more than 10 years. Compared with non-habitual tea drinkers, tea regulars had higher bone mineral densities, even after exercise and calcium were taken into account. A British University study found that drinking one cup a day was linked to a 5% higher bone mineral density in senior citizens. A new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that green tea drinkers had bones that were 3% thicker than non-tea drinkers

BreathCoffee can give you bad breath, but polyphenols found in both black and green tea can stop the growth of bacteria that cause bad breath. Black tea also suppresses the growth of bacteria in dental plaque and rinsing with black tea reduces plaque formation and the production of acids that cause tooth decay. Japanese researchers also found that green tea helped patients with gingivitis and more advanced gum disease.

Cancer“Tea is one of the single best cancer fighters you can put in your body,” according to Dr. Mitchell Gaynor, director of medical oncology at the world-renowned Strong Cancer Prevention Center in New York CIty. Studies have shown that both green and black teas kept healthy cells from turning malignant after exposure to cancer-causing compounds. John Hopkins University studies showed that drinking 2 to 3 cups of tea daily reduced the risk of developing urinary tract cancer by 60%, and digestive tract cancer by 32%.

CholesterolNew research confirms that extracts of black tea can help reduce cholesterol. Researchers at Vanderbilt University tested 240 people with mild to moderately high cholesterol who were on a low-fat diet. Half took a daily black tea extract with polyphenols (equal to 7 cups of tea); the other half took a placebo. After 12 weeks, those on tea cut their LDL by 16%. “Over time that could translate into a 16 to 24% reduction in risk of heart attack and stroke” says Dr. David Maron, MD, cardiologist and lead researcher.

to be continued… in the mean time join us for a cup of your favourite tea!

Herbals are a whole other ball game and if you do drink a lot of herbal teas, I’d advise getting a handbook about herbal teas or look them up on the internet. Generally herbals are safe and have good health beenfits, but sometimes people can have allergic reactions to certain plants and flowers, so if you have sensitivities, it’s a good idea to read the ingredients in herbal tea blends.

Just to give you an idea: Some examples of popular herbal tea benefits are:

PEPPERMINT TEA is great for soothing an upset stomach and helping digestion. It is also good for killing mouth bacteria and giving you good breath.

GINGER TEA is great for aiding with nausea, motion-sickness, as well as digestion.

DANDELION TEA is a great diuretic and also detoxifies the liver.

LICORICE TEA contains valuable iron salts and is a good laxative. It is also said to fight stress and fatigue. It may not be good for people with high blood pressure.

CHAMOMILE TEA is supposed to help with insomnia. The natural mineral phosphates in chamomile tea help calm nervous energy. People also bathe in chamomile tea if they have a sunburn or rinse their hair with it if they are blonde…it’s supposed to give blonde hair a shine.

However, be careful with some of these herbal teas if you have plant allergies…chamomile is a relative of the ragweed plant and if you suffer from allergies, you could have an unpleasant reaction from some herbals.

Okay, real tea… the Camellia Sinensis plant. There are so many benefits, I’m going to list them alphabetically.

AGING – Mice which were fed tea displayed fewer signs of ageing than mice that were fed water. This ageing experiment was conducted jointly by scientists in America, Taiwan, and Tokushima University in japan. It was testing both green and oolong tea. Groups of mice that were genetically altered to age twice as fast as ordinary mice, were observed over a 16-week period. They were checked for hair loss, age spots, bags under their eyes, wrinkles, and other signs of aging. The mice that were fed tea displayed fewer signs of ageing than mice that were fed water, with oolong tea showing significantly better results than green tea.

to be continued… in the mean time join us for a cup of your favourite tea!